Warriors: To Storm
by PoppyHermanson
Summary: “Apprentices?” Shadow blinked. Icefur nodded his head. “Yes. The cats that are learning to become warriors of our Clan.” "Or learning to be medicine cats!” chimed in Hawktail. "But I've already taken that spot! Sorry!" --Chapter Three Is Up--
1. The Allegiances

**A/N: **Hosnap, second of the comeback! I'm warning you at the start, so do NOT complain to me if you did not read this. Some of the cats have names that the Clan cats MIGHT NOT know about. On the flip side, this story takes place long before Into the Wild, and all that jazz. If you don't like the names, don't read it. If you don't like me, don't read my work. Do not PM me or review for the story complaining about the names. If you do, you will promptly be either ignored, or reported to the site as reviewing with something not relevant to this story. Kay? :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Warriors seriiieeess

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**Warriors Allegiances**

_**ThunderClan  
**_Leader:** Apricotstar**—brown-and-white tabby she-cat with amber eyes  
Deputy: **Tawnytail**—tortoiseshell tom with amber eyes and a lanky frame  
Medicine Cat:** Rainpelt**—Silver-blue and white tabby she-cat with a bushy tail, white paws, and pale green eyes **(Apprentice,** **Diamondpaw)**

Warriors(Toms and she-cats without kits)  
**Cardinalfur**—reddish-brown tabby tom with amber eyes and white-tipped paws  
**Bramblestripe**—Brown tabby tom with black stripes and amber eyes **(Apprentice, Mousepaw)  
****Foxtail**—orange-brown tom with a very bushy fox-like tail  
**Sparkpelt**—dark orange she-cat with yellow eyes **(Apprentice, Rabbitpaw)  
****Leopardpelt**—brown tabby she-cat with black spots  
**Stormfoot**—smoky gray tom with blue eyes  
**Fireflower**—bright orange she-cat with a flower-shaped brown marking around her left eye

Apprentices (More than six moons old, in training to become warriors)  
**Diamondpaw**—Small white she-cat with a black diamond shape on her chest, black-tipped paws, and tail  
**Mousepaw**—Dusky brown tom with a skinny tail  
**Rabbitpaw**—Fluffy white she-cat with green eyes

Queens (She-cats expecting or nursing kits)  
**Leaftail**—tortoiseshell she-cat with brown eyes **(Mother of Goldenkit)  
****Sunlight**—heavily pregnant yellow tabby with dark green eyes

Elders (Former warriors and queens, now retired)  
**Wrinkledtail**—oldest cat in ThunderClan with a naturally wrinkled, hairless pelt, former Medicine Cat

**_RiverClan_  
**Leader:** Icestar**—pure white tom with icy blue eyes  
Deputy: **Stormspot**—pale blue-gray tom with orange eyes **(Apprentice, Swiftpaw)  
**Medicine Cat:** Brightstream**—all-black she-cat with amber eyes **(Apprentice, Burdockpaw)**

Warriors (Toms and she-cats without kits)  
**Wishheart**—tortoiseshell she-cat with long fur  
**Rustedwind**—orange-spotted black tom with green eyes **(Apprentice, Arrowpaw)  
****Ferntail**—small brown-and-white she-cat  
**Wolffur**—black-and-brown tom-cat with amber eyes  
**Patchfur**—silver tabby tom with green-blue eyes  
**Thornshadow**—large tom with incredibly sharp claws and green eyes  
**Speedclaw**—small, sleek blue-gray she-cat with long claws and green eyes  
**Spottedstone**—white tom-cat with black spots and gray eyes **(Apprentice, Smokepaw)**

Apprentices(More than six moons old, in training to become warriors)  
**Swiftpaw**—silvery tom with amber eyes  
**Burdockpaw**—Small reddish-brown she-cat with amber eyes  
**Arrowpaw**—tortoiseshell she-cat with abnormally large claws  
**Smokepaw**—siamese tom with pale blue eyes

Queens(She-cats expecting or nursing kits)  
**Specklecoat**—small brown she-cat with orange spots **(Mother of Gingerkit, Tailkit, and Heartkit)  
****Winterbreeze**—tortoiseshell she-cat with striking pale white eyes **(Mother of Bluekit and Mosskit)  
****Copperspot**—white she-cat with yellow eyes and a brown spot on her left ear **(Mother of Patchkit, Stormkit, and Jaykit)  
****Ripplepelt**—all black she-cat  
**Mudheart**—brown she-cat with amber eyes **(Mother of Amberkit, Blackkit, and Silverkit)**

Elders (Former warriors and queens, now retired)  
**Foggyeyes**—young yellow-and-brown tom-cat, retired early due to failing sight

_**ShadowClan  
**_Leader:** Crystalstar**—all white she-cat with bright yellow eyes  
Deputy:** Dappledmoss**—pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with brown eyes  
Medicine Cat:** Icefur**—brown-eyed white tom-cat with flecks of brown **(Apprentice, Hawktail)**

Warriors:(Toms and she-cats without kits)  
**Browntail**—broad-shouldered brown tabby tom with green eyes  
**Snowstorm**—all white she-cat with blue eyes **(Apprentice, Wildpaw)  
****Dawncloud**—smoky-gray she-cat with pale blue eyes **(Apprentice, Ravenpaw)  
****Venompuddle**—large brown tom with brown eyes  
**Tigerfang**—massive tabby tom with fangs that stick out the corners of his mouth **(Apprentice, Robinpaw)  
****Otterclaw**—large brown tabby tom with amber eyes  
**Lionwhisker**—big, golden-brown tom-cat with thick neck fur and dark green eyes

Apprentices:(More than six moons old, in training to become warriors)  
**Hawktail**—large brown tom with white paws and amber eyes  
**Wildpaw**—small, twitchy, gray tabby tom with amber eyes  
**Ravenpaw**—small black and brown tabby tom with yellow eyes  
**Robinpaw**—very small, reddish-brown she-cat with gentle blue eyes

Queens(She-cats expecting or nursing kits)  
**Starlingfeather**—black-and-white she-cat with green-gray eyes  
**Lightshine**—Small, black she-cat with blue eyes **(Mother of Boulderkit, Sunkit, and Splashkit)**

Elders(Former warriors and queens, now retired)  
**Weaselshadow**—large tortoiseshell tom with empty golden eyes  
**Rippedear**—small black and white tom covered in battle scars; he is entirely mute, and is missing his left ear  
**Mosstooth**—black tabby tom with yellow-green eyes  
**Tornbelly**—young tortoiseshell she-cat with large scars on her stomach, retired early due to her horrid injuries

_**WindClan  
**_Leader:** Sharpstar**—massive brown tabby tom with gold eyes  
Deputy:** Darktail**—White she-cat with green eyes and a smoky-black tail **(Apprentice, Thunderpaw)  
**Medicine Cat:** Brightshadow**—all black she-cat with bright yellow eyes **(Apprentice, Starrypaw)**

Warriors (Toms and she-cats without kits)  
**Blackstorm**—Pure black tom-cat with black eyes  
**Volepelt**—Pale gray tabby tom with orange eyes  
**Ringtail**—silver-and-brown tabby she-cat  
**Iceshadow**—an all white tom with one black eye and one amber eye **(Apprentice, Windpaw)  
****Crimsonpelt**—dark orange tabby tom  
**Flameheart**—dark orange tabby tom with emerald eyes **(Apprentice, Oakpaw)  
****Mudsplash**—cream-colored tom with brown markings on his face, neck, chest, shoulders, and front legs  
**Jaggedrock**—gray-and-white tom with gray-blue eyes  
**Squirrelchaser**—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat  
**Thistleheart**—gray tom with amber eyes  
**Whitestripe**—tortoiseshell she-cat with a thick, pure white ring around her neck  
**Moonshine**—all yellow she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentices(More than six moons old, in training to become warriors)  
**Thunderpaw**—golden brown tom-cat with crimson eyes  
**Starrypaw**—Smoky gray she-cat with darker and lighter flecks  
**Windpaw**—Pale gray she-cat with white flecks  
**Oakpaw**—Brown tabby tom with white on his muzzle, paws and stomach

Queens:(She-cats expecting or nursing kits)  
**Blueheart**—Silver-blue she-cat with bright blue eyes **(Mother of Skykit and Cloudkit)  
****Dappleheart**—Tortoiseshell she-cat with a lovely spotted coat **(Mother of Crowkit, Talonkit, and Swishkit)  
****Breezeboulder**—Smoky gray she-cat with silvery eyes

Elders:(Former warriors and queens, now retired)  
**Earthquake**—massive, dusky brown tom

_**LightningClan  
**_Leader:** Electricstar**—large, golden-yellow tom with amber eyes  
Deputy: **Boltzap**—Dusty yellow she-cat with bright yellow eyes  
Medicine Cat: **Stormeyes**—small, pale, blue-gray she-cat with one yellow eye and one blue eye

Warriors:(Toms and she-cats without kits)  
**Lionbelly**—massive tom with a yellow-and-white pelt and gold eyes  
**Dandelionshadow**—Yellow she-cat with dark eyes

**_Rogues and Loners  
_****Ashpaw**—A small siamese tom with big blue eyes, formerly of ShadowClan  
**Rubypaw**—a dusky brown she-cat with amber eyes, formerly of ThunderClan  
**Shadow—**A young black tom with purple eyes; he lives in a run-down Horseplace not too far from ShadowClan territory with Whirl  
**Whirl**—a big, fluffy tortoiseshell tom from a run-down Horseplace not too far from ShadowClan territory.

**_Other Animals_  
****Todd**—a large white-and-orange fox that has been hanging around Clan territories for countless generations. Suspiciously, he can communicate perfectly with the cats, and even knows and speaks with StarClan. His past is a mystery to every cat, but he has an odd, blue star-shaped patch on his left flank. His nickname for himself is "StarClan's loyal messenger."


	2. The Prologue

The half moon was just about reaching its highest point in the sky and it was casting a pale white glow over the forest. Silverpelt glittered brightly in the cloudless night sky above, and Hawktail could'nt help admiring the way the lights all reflected off his mentor's silvery fur. However, there was no time for words; they were running late to the halfmoon meeting, and they were only just now leaving ShadowClan territory. But Hawktail couldn't stand the quiet, and he didn't want to wait until they reached the other medicine cats.

"Icefur," he finally spoke up, padding briskly along at the white cat's side. "Are you expecting any signs tonight?"

Icefur twisted his ears, but only flicked his tail in answer. Hawktail sighed to himself. This was his second time going to Highstones, as a medicine cat apprentice anyway, and he was quickly coming to find that on these trips, Icefur often refused to speak to him.

They passed by Carrionplace easily enough, with no signs of rats or twolegs to get in their way. When they reached the Thunderpath, they both stopped just under the hedge-line. Icefur glanced up and down the long stretch of hard ground. Hawktail took a quick sniff of the air. Nothing was coming, no monsters and no tree-eaters. Good.

Or, well, it was good until Icefur shoved him out onto the thing.

"Wha--hey!" Hawktail yowled, but Icefur was already racing across. With a moments hesitation, Hawktail followed, glad there was no sign of a monster on its way toward them. He was panting by the time he reached Icefur on the other side. "What... what did you do that for?"

"You're taking too long." Icefur growled, and off he bounded across the rocky ground. Hawktail huffed. What had he done? Lashing his tail, he followed nonetheless, running at his own pace until he spotted the group of cats he and Icefur had come to see. Icefur was already with them.

"Hi, Hawktail!" A small she-cat meowed as he came over. It was Diamondpaw, the ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice. She was a pretty cat with all white fur, except for her black ears, paws, tail-tip and the diamond-shaped spot on her chest. She was considerably nice, Hawktail was pleased to note, and he'd found on his first trip to Highstones that she was also very easy to get along with. Hawktail dipped his head in greeting to her. "Hello, Diamondpaw. How is the prey running in ThunderClan?"

"Just fine, thank you!"

Gazing at the young she-cat, Hawktail was briefly reminded of what had happened only a few moons ago. Diamondpaw's littermate, Rubypaw, had also wanted to become a medicine cat apprentice. Why that was, no one was sure, but she had always dragged her paws through her very-short training to be a warrior. She'd run away from the Clans not too long ago... and so had one of ShadowClan's apprentices, Ashpaw. The Clans figured it was another case of forbidden love; but what bothered Hawktail the most was that no one had bothered to go out and find those two apprentices.

He was tempted to ask how Diamondpaw was holding up, but a growling beat him before he could.

"Come_ on!_ The moon is nearly at its peak!" Icefur lashed his tail, frustrated. Hawktail rolled his eyes, but the other cats looked reluctant. Soon enough, they all set off as one toward Mothermouth.

Hawktail fell into step with the three other apprentices, while the older medicine cats led the way up the rocky slope. Icefur was practically stomping his paws as he walked slightly ahead of the others. Starrypaw, the WindClan medicine cat apprentice, padded closer to Hawktail to murmur to him. "Is Icefur okay?"

He glanced at his mentor, then looked back at the gray-and-black she-cat beside him. Starrypaw was a pretty cat, but with a big story behind her. All of the Clans knew about it. Starrypaw and her littermates, Thunderpaw and Windpaw, had been born during a horribly bad storm--and during that storm, a huge mutiny had taken place against their former leader, Mudstar. Sharpstar had been behind it, and he'd been successful in killing the former leader. The moors had practically been destroyed, and their mother had died protecting Starrypaw and her siblings against a traitorous WindClan cat, Boneclaw. Hawktail shook his head. So much drama... "I don't know," he admitted softly. "Ever since we left camp, he's been acting like he's mad at the world."

"That's pretty strange," Burdockpaw, a sleek tortoiseshell RiverClan she-cat and Brightstream's apprentice, spoke up. Diamondpaw, padding along at Hawktail's right, nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I hope StarClan can calm him down. Who knows who could if they can't."

Hawktail nodded. He wasn't sure what had put Icefur into such a mood, but he hoped StarClan would be able to help him.

When they reached the summit of the craggy cliff-side, the group paused. Before them stood the gaping black hole called Mothermouth. Hawktail had never been able to go inside back when he had been a warrior apprentice, but since becoming Icefur's apprentice, he had only ever been inside once--and that had been to ask StarClan's permission to make him a medicine cat. That night had been the most incredible thing he'd ever witnessed.

"The moon is just about there." Icefur said in a firm voice, standing in a shaft of moonlight at the mouth of the cave. Hawktail stared at his mentor's illuminated fur. If he didn't know any better, he'd say Icefur had stars in his pelt.

"Yes," Spoke up Diamondpaw's mentor, Rainpelt. She was a nice cat, with silvery-blue and white fur, and a long bushy tail. "Let us head inside. Diamondpaw, stay with me."

"Yes, Rainpelt!"

"Burdockpaw?"

"Coming, Brightstream!"

The apprentices all hurried to their mentor's sides. Starrypaw didn't yet, though; she lingered a moment at Hawktail's side, and flicked his shoulder with her tail. "I hope things get better for you."

Bewildered as he was, Hawktail only nodded his head.

"Come along, Starrypaw!" Brightshadow called, her yellow eyes piercing through the blackness of night around them.

"Don't forget to keep your head up!" Starrypaw murmured hastily to him, and then she turned and hurried to her mentor's side.

Wondering why Starrypaw had given him such advice, Hawktail padded over to Icefur at the mouth of the great cave. Icefur sent a scorching look over him, making his pelt prickle, but Hawktail stood as tall as he dared, waiting patiently for the group to head in. And, when Icefur gave the signal, they did.

Darkness was surprisingly quick to set in around him; unconsciously or not, Hawktail found himself walking close behind Icefur, his whiskers brushing along the wall to his right, and his mentor's long tail just barely touching his shoulder. It was so dark he couldn't even see Icefur in front of him, let alone the nose at the end of his snout.

They walked and walked and walked, taking long paths or winding tunnels, deeper and deeper underground. Hawktail was familiar with this part, going for so long, and then eventually reaching the glorious Moonstone. But he felt disoriented. Who knew how long it was until they finally reached their destination.

There was a single hole, triangle shaped, in the ceiling of a wide cavern, wider than any of the tunnels they'd been through. In the very center of the cavern was a stone—three tail-lengths tall, and a fox-length wide at least. It was a dull gray color now, but as soon as the moon was lined up, well... Hawktail could hardly wait to see it again.

He glanced at Icefur beside him. He didn't look any happier.

Feeling a nudge at his shoulder, Hawktail turned his eyes in the other direction, and was greeted instantly by Diamondpaw's brilliant blue eyes.

"Are you alright?" She asked softly. Slowly, he nodded his head.

"Yeah. Just a little anxious."

"It's okay. I was pretty anxious too, when I was still a new apprentice."

_But you've been a Medicine Cat apprentice for five moons._ Hawktail shook his head, sat on his haunches, and curled his tail around his white paws. _I trained as a warrior before I finally decided to become one.  
_

All of a sudden, there was a powerful flash of light. A beam of moonshine was coming through the hole in the ceiling, and it hit the Moonstone, lighting the entire thing up to shine a bright, radiant color, like waterdrops on cobwebs.

Icefur stepped forward. His fur looked like it was glowing again. "StarClan welcomes us."

"Let us take our positions." Rainpelt purred.

Everyone obeyed her, even Icefur. They each sat in a circle around the Moonstone, one by one touching their noses against it. Hawktail watched from the corners of his amber eyes as Icefur settled down beside him. He waited until he could hear his mentors breathing even out... then he, too, touched his nose to the stone. It was frozen like ice, and stars dazzled before his eyes. Then... he felt himself drifting off...

His eyes snapped open what felt like a moment later. No longer was he in the cavern, but back in the forest; the familiar territory of his home Clan, with partially muddy ground, and leaf litter all over the place. Home.

He glanced around carefully, taking in his surroundings. Yet the sound of a twig snapping caught his attention; he turned toward it...

...And immediately, his eyes widened.

Standing before him was another cat; she was beautiful. She had stars shimmering in her thick white fur, and her sky blue eyes were filled with such love and adoration. She was staring at him.

"Hawktail," she finally spoke; her voice was greatly familiar to him. "You've grown into such a fine warrior. And now a medicine cat! I couldn't be more proud."

That was it--! He knew who this cat was.

"Glacierheart?" He took a little step forward. The StarClan cat did not move. "Is it really you? I haven't seen you since--!"

"Hush, young one. I know." Glacierheart tilted her head. "But, now is not the time for this. As happy as I am to see you... I've called you here for a reason."

Hawktail opened his mouth to say something, but she silenced him with a flick of her tail across his nose. "Come."

She turned, then, and bounded away. Hawktail quickly gave chase, not wanting to lose sight of this cat.

After all, this was his mother.

He followed Glacierheart through ShadowClan territory, under the Thunderpath, and down a familiar ravine. Four great oak trees were just barely in view when Hawktail realized where they were going.

_Fourtrees? What could be...?_

He stopped at the top of the hollow and gasped in horror. Glacierheart stopped too.

In the clearing where the four cat Clans would gather every full moon under a truce, blood bathed the ground. The soil was thick and muddy with it, and the normally green-grass was stained crimson. There was blood splattered on the four oaks, even the Great Rock... and bodies of mauled, dead cats were everywhere. Under the putrid stench of blood and death, Hawktail could smell his own Clan, ShadowClan; he could smell the cunning Riverclan, speedy WindClan, and even the noble ThunderClan scents.

Glacierheart flicked her tail, and started down the ravine. Hawktail's already-wide eyes widened even further. "G-Glacierheart! Come back!"

The closer she got to the Great Rock, Hawktail began to notice a kind of darkness settling in over him. It shrouded everything; the scents, the area, even his mother, who upon reaching the Great Rock, abruptly... vanished.

But then, through the darkness, something formed. Cat eyes. Big, purple cat eyes, and the powerful roar of a wild cat sounded out. A _jaguar_.

"Darkness will come," Glacierheart's voice murmured into his ear. "And the Clans will die."

Hawktail let out a loud yowl and jolted to his paws. His eyes snapped open and, panting, he looked around quickly.

He was back in Mothermouth, at the Moonstone. And the other Medicine Cats, even Icefur, were all looking at him like he had five tails.

Diamondpaw took a small step forward, worry evident in her eyes. But Hawktail, once getting a hold of himself, just slowly shook his head. He couldn't tell anyone except for Icefur what had happened, and that couldn't even happen until they got back to camp. It was a tradition; Medicine cats weren't allowed to talk about their dreams in front of the other medicine cats.

With everyone awake again, and the Moonstone still shining brightly, Rainpelt led the way to the exit. Hawktail walked quietly at the back of the group; he couldn't see in the darkness, but there was someone's tail lying across his shoulders. He figured that was Icefur. There was another cat walking beside him; judging by the scent, he thought it was Starrypaw, and Diamondpaw was right behind them.

The entire walk out, Hawktail couldn't stop thinking about his dream, and he swore he could still smell all those scents, too. But, now, he was confused.

Why had StarClan sent him a dream like that? Something was obviously going to happen. But what, exactly? What did the prophecy mean?

And who was the cat with the purple eyes?


	3. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Warriors.

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"Shadow! Wake up, you lazy kit!"

The rough shove to his shoulder made Shadow's violet eyes snap open. He blinked them multiple times, baffled, until another shove made him grimace, then groan.

Whirl was awake.

"Come on, you!" The old cat growled, nudging at his black fur again. "I'm getting hungry, and my joints are all stiff this morning! Up, up! What are you, a badger?"

"I'm up, Whirl!" The kit growled, heaving himself to his paws, and giving his pelt a shake. He couldn't stand it when Whirl woke up before he did—especially after a fun night of chasing the barn mice around until Moonhigh while the elderly cat was trying to sleep.

"Hmph! Maybe going to sleep earlier and _not_ chasing the mice will give you the rest you need, then!" Whirl hissed, making his way toward a bale of hay at least two tail-lengths above his head. He crouched, grunted, and launched himself up onto the thing. Shadow's eyes watched him the entire time. Whirl was old—the oldest cat he knew—but he still had plenty of bite left, it seemed. His fur was long and naturally dark, mixed with black and brown colors. Gray was starting to show in a few places, too, but never would Whirl admit to his true age. His eyes were the lightest of yellow tints, and of all four of his paws, his front left was white… though, now it was a rather dusty yellow color, obviously from having been walking around and not bothering to clean it.

Shaking his head, Shadow sat, and started to wash his face with his paw. "I managed to be quiet, at least! You got to sleep."

"Yes," huffed Whirl, flopping onto his side on the hay. "But I'm still _hungry."_

Twitching his ears, Shadow snorted. He gave his fluffy chestfur a few quick licks, then padded briskly over to the large hole in the side of the barn. He stuck his head out, glanced around, then looked upwards, and nodded to himself before bringing his head back in to look at his companion. "It's sunhigh, so the mice are probably out now. I'll go get some and bring them back, okay?" Whirl grumbled something that Shadow thought was agreement, so he flicked his tail and leaped out of the hole. Just as he'd thought, the sun was directly above him in the sky, and he could already hear the sound of tiny paws scuttling across the ground.

Dropping into a crouch, he slunk into the barn's shadow, and slowly made his way along the structure until he could peak around the corner. It didn't take long until he spotted his first mouse; it was a nice, big plump one, and Shadow quickly decided that that mouse was for Whirl.

Now all he had to do was catch it.

_Okay. You gotta bend down…and slide your paws when you walk, right? _He thought to himself, bending his legs until his bellyfur nearly touched the dirt. Then slowly he slid his paws forward, careful to balance his weight out, his eyes trained on his prey, and everything Whirl had told him in mind. He wasn't the greatest hunter, he knew, but he was confident that he knew enough to at least get him and Whirl some breakfast. Or lunch, rather.

Ultimately he froze when the mouse glanced up; still in the darkness cast by the barn shadow, for once he was rather glad his fur was black and blending in so well. Shadow waited, patient, until the mouse deemed it safe enough and carried on with its foraging. Only then did he move in for the kill. He leapt, his paws came down with a thump, and the mouse was dead after a swift bite to the throat. Feeling overjoyed with himself, he turned to head back into the barn, prey in his jaws—

--But then another dead piece of prey was dropped in front of him. It was a vole, which wasn't too common around the barn. And who else was standing above it but Whirl himself?

Flattening his ears, Shadow spat his mouse out. It landed on top of the vole with a rather unceremonious 'thud'. "I thought your joints were hurting you, Whirl!"

"They are," Answered Whirl with a flick of his bushy tail. "But you didn't think that would keep me from watching you hunt, did you? Shadow, you've still much to learn." He meowed, and stooped down to pick up, not the vole, but the mouse. He gestured with his tail for Shadow to follow him back into the barn, and reluctantly, he did—after snatching up the vole, of course.

Inside, Whirl hopped up onto his favorite bale of hay again. Shadow took his vole and sat just beside it, devouring the juicy meat and hoping Whirl would keep whatever lecture for when he was done eating. Fortunately, he did.

"Shadow," the old cat glanced over from where he was lounging. Shadow perked his ears. "Your hunt was good this morning, but it was still mediocre. Sliding your paws was a good tactic, though, and your crouch was nearly right. Now, I think…"

Inwardly, Shadow rolled his eyes. Outwardly, he drowned out the elder's lecture with thoughts of his own. He didn't really blame Whirl for wanting to criticize him so much. He was only seven moons old, and had started learning to hunt two moons before. He knew he wasn't great, but he felt he'd done just fine. A cat like Whirl was hard to impress, after all. You had to be the best of the best in order to get on his 'good hunters' list.

"…you'd get the bird easier. Got it?" Whirl was finishing up when Shadow bothered to tune back in to him. The black kit nodded his head, flicking his tail in false glee. "Uh huh! I got it, Whirl!"

"Good!" Heaving himself to his big paws, Whirl clambered down from the haystack. He stopped at Shadow's side and prodded him with one paw. "Let's go for a walk. It's still early, I can show you some things around the barn, maybe."

Shadow twitched his whiskers. "What about your joints?" He couldn't help worrying over the elder; Whirl had been the only one ever around as far back as Shadow could remember. Of course, there was this one memory he had, of a cat with sparkling white fur…

"Nonsense!" Whirl spat, head-butting Shadow in the shoulder, then leading the way toward the hole beside the closed barn doors. "A walk will help to get them working again. We'll go to the forest-line and back. How does that sound?"

Despite that worry, Shadow bounded after Whirl, eager as ever. "Ah! Okay!" He'd only been to the forest-line once before, and that he'd been much younger, then. The old cat had told him that inside that forest, massive, ferocious wild cats lived—so fierce, they even ate the bones from the prey they killed, and they lived in big groups, and were always blood-thirsty, and that they especially didn't take kindly to strangers. Shadow hadn't ever seen any of them before, but he'd smelled them numerous times, on the wind. Needless to say, he was more than interested about them, but unfortunately, Whirl often refused to tell him anything about them aside from old legacies.

They headed away from the barn at a reasonably brisk pace. The sun was still high in the sky, and the warmth it gave off made Shadow's black pelt heat up pretty fast. He didn't mind it, though; the cold Northwind from behind kept blowing, and made him cool down just as fast as the heat came back. They scrabbled under the fence and crossed the old dirt Thunderpath. Nearby, Shadow thought he heard a howling sound. He glanced at Whirl, but the old cat must not have heard it, so he dismissed whatever it was from his mind. There couldn't have been any dogs around; there never was anyway, plus there were no twolegs to take care of them—or the barn, at that. According to Whirl, the last twoleg seen at the barn had been many moons before Shadow's time, and they had only been a small pup, hardly a threat in the slightest to any cat.

Shadow shook his head. Twolegs were such strange creatures.

Hurrying to keep up with Whirl, he all but bounced along on his paws. A crow called overhead, but just like the howling from before, Whirl didn't even twitch his ears toward it. So, Shadow tried not to either.

Before long, they could spot trees up ahead. Big, ancient pine tress, and as they drew slowly closer, Shadow thought he could smell the strong scent of cats. The ground underpaw was getting soft and peaty. It was about there when Whirl came to a halt. Shadow stopped two pawsteps later.

"Time to go home, Shadow." The elder meowed. Shadow flicked his tail. Was it because of the wind that Whirl's fur looked so ruffled up? He didn't protest, despite wanting to see more of those trees up ahead. Maybe Whirl's joints were really beginning to bother him, or something.

"Okay." He meowed, returning to Whirls side. Whirl nodded to him and started to lead the way home. Shadow began to follow… but then, he shuddered, and stopped. His pelt was crawling. Why did he feel like he was being…

…Watched?

With a blink he glanced over his shoulder. He didn't see anything, but something told him someone was there. A cat, maybe? The wind was blowing from behind him, so if anything, whatever was there would smell and see him for sure.

Whatever. He was probably delusional from the heat.

"Shadow! Don't fall behind!" Whirl called, and with a jolt, Shadow rushed to catch up. But his fur was still prickling; who had that been, watching them behind the trees?

--

The sound of snuffling dragged Shadow from his sleep that night. After returning from their walk, Whirl had gone to take a nap, and Shadow had spent the rest of his time practicing his hunting techniques. By the time Whirl woke up hours later, they'd had a feast of mice and two robin birds that Shadow had caught. Whirl had praised him, they ate, played a bit, then headed off to bed up on the loft. Now, Shadow could tell it was still dark. He could feel Whirl's pelt brushing his as he slept, snoring softly.

But then…what was the sniffling sound?

Shadow pulled himself to his paws, stretching and yawning, and made his way to the edge of the loft. He peered down through the darkness to the lower level. At first, he couldn't see much of anything. But then a shaft of moonshine from the roof gave way to what was down there.

_Dogs._

Shadow nearly screeched in fear. There were three of them; he could see their eyes flashing. And they were _big._

Trembling, as quietly as he could, Shadow darted over to where Whirl slept. His mind and heart were racing. Why were there dogs in the barn? How did they get in? Were they looking for something? And if so, _what?_ He nudged Whirl with his nose. After a moment, the old cat snorted, and lifted his head. "Wha'ssit?"

"Shh!" Shadow continued nudging Whirl's fur. He didn't trust his voice, so he gestured frantically with his tail to the loft-edge instead. Whirl must have heard the dogs down there, because a moment later, he started heaving himself to his paws. He winced and struggled to balance himself until Shadow hurried to help him.

He didn't have to ask to know that Whirl was hurting more now than he had been earlier.

"Stop your trembling!" The elder hissed at him. Shadow stiffened, vaguely tried to control his body's quivering, but he wasn't too successful. He'd never dealt with dogs before; he'd hardly even seen one up close, never-mind three of them at once.

"Shadow, listen to me." Whirl growled. Below them, the dogs whined and growled at one another. "Dogs aren't smart. They can't climb, and they can't run as fast as we can."

"B-but you can't even run!" Shadow protested.

"Shut up!" Whirl hissed, cuffing his ear with his white paw. Shadow cringed, but didn't dare make a sound of protest. "Now listen. We can get out through there." He waved his bushy tail toward the wall. A couple tail-lengths up was a large, rectangle-shaped hole. There was a bale of hay perched on its lower edge.

Shadow fluffed his fur out. "W-what? But Whirl--!"

"Go on, and stay quiet!" Whirl nudged him. Shadow was reluctant, but he padded his way over carefully.

Up close, the jump looked higher than anything Shadow had ever jumped before. Behind him, Whirl spotted his hesitation, and shoved him. Shadow was still trembling when he sat back, gathered all the power he could in his hindpaws, and sprang up as hard as possible. His claws scrabbled furiously over the wood, and he nearly whimpered when he started to slide downward; he hadn't reached the perch!

Below, the dogs howled viciously and their huge paws could be heard thundering across the hay-covered floor down there. Whirl hissed, and yowled: "Climb, Shadow! As fast as you can!"

Almost too scared to move, Shadow started to climb. He scrambled and dug his claws in as far as he could, and before long, he managed to heave himself up onto the bale of hay. Only then did he look to find Whirl.

The old cat was crouched at the edge of the loft, fur bristling. He was hissing and spitting at the dogs, and swatting his paw with unsheathed claws.

"W-Whirl!" Shadow called. Whirl immediately sprang to his paws and hobbled toward the wall. When he glanced up, Shadow saw everything the old cat must have been feeling at that instant: pain, worry, anger, _terror._ How was he going to make the jump?

Shadow hesitated again, shook his head, and went to climb back down. But before he could, Whirl screeched at him. "No! Stay up there! I'll find another way out, just go!"

"B-but Whirl!"

From behind the old cat, Shadow could hear deadly fangs snapping. Standing on pawtip, Shadow wondered if he could see the mutts. He squinted his eyes against the darkness, stretched his neck—_the dogs found the climber._ The climber was the only thing connecting the ground to the loft.

"Whirl!!"

"Get out of here, Shadow!"

Shadow's heart tore. He didn't know what to do—leave Whirl alone with the dogs, or run with his tail between his legs?

"Go already!" Whirl yowled. Shadow cringed, his eyes closed tightly. Finally he meowed the softest of apologies to Whirl, turned, and jumped.


	4. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Warriors.

Down, down, down he fell, with the wind bellowing in his ears and his paws waving in hopes of grabbing onto something to keep from falling to his death. Alas, there was nothing, and Shadow didn't dare open his eyes to see how fast the ground was coming at him.

Abruptly Shadow found himself colliding with something—something firm but weak, and he felt it collapse under his weight and the solid force of him hitting the thing. Whatever it was, he had fallen through it, and slammed hard on its bottom. A couple heavy things dropped on top of him after, and despite the lack of air in his lungs, he had to sigh in relief. He was alive—

At that second, the thing decided to start tilting to the side. Shadow didn't have time to react before it fell over, with him and whatever else was in there going along too. Dust flew; Shadow found himself buried under even more heavy things, which upon opening his bleary eyes, he realized it was wood. His right shoulder burned like it was on fire, and vaguely Shadow hoped it wasn't damaged too much.

He couldn't find the strength to move for a while. The pile on him didn't help much, either. So he simply laid there, eyes unseeing, whatever he was trapped in… the only way out was behind him, and it was just barely blocked off by the woodpile.

He had no idea how long he'd been drifting in and out after that. He thought there was something wet under him, warm and sticky, but there was no way to tell what it was.

It felt like forever before anything happened. From outside of his "prison", he could hear sniffling; the dizzying scent of a dog was coming through the smells of dust and wood.

He must have passed out again, because when he next opened his eyes, it was lighter out. And… there was something beside him. A cat, he realized; a big, old cat with dark messy fur and… blood-scent?

"W-…Whir…?" He tried to meow, but he hardly had the strength. He'd been heard though. Whirl was beside him as fast as he could hobble, and was nuzzling Shadow's cheek in relief.

"Oh Shadow, you're awake!" He rasped, licking at Shadow's pelt all over. Dully, the kit noticed the woodpile was gone. Had Whirl moved it off him? He was so confused; what was going on?

"You're hurt badly…" Whirl meowed. Only then did Shadow realize how much his shoulder was hurting. It was practically numb from so much pain. "I…I don't know if you can see it, but there's a p-piece of wood there… If I pull it out, y-you'll end up bleeding to death."

_Now_ his heart started to race. There was a _what_ in his shoulder?

Shadow groaned. He began attempting to gather his paws, and with a heartbeat's hesitation, Whirl helped him stand. It took a bit, but he managed to get up, and Whirl let him lean on him to keep his balance.

It was at that point he finally figured out where the blood-scent was coming from. It was coming from _him,_ and his pelt was thick and matted with it all on his right side.

"W-…Whirl…" He started, but the old cat silenced him with a gentle nudge to his ear. "Hush, young one. Walk slowly… you don't need to worry about anything. I'm here, and the dogs are gone."

Shadow didn't move, but he did finally notice how Whirl was breathing rather heavily. His meow was raspier than usual, and on the outward breath, Whirl's breath ended in a high-pitched whining sound. Shadow nussled his cheek into his companion's fluffy neck.

"Y-…you… hurt?"

Whirl blinked at him, then shook his head. "N-no. The dogs… j-just nicked my tail a little. Slowly, now, one paw at a time."

It hurt so much to do it, but in the next long moments, they finally got to what Shadow recognized as the wood fence. Whirl stopped them there, glanced around, then nudged Shadow again. At first when Shadow didn't react, too exhausted and pained to move, Whirl laid his tail over the kit's back. Finally Shadow raised his eyes.

"This way," The elder murmured. Unable to speak, Shadow just nodded, and followed as Whirl led him through the broken gate nearby.

He wasn't sure how far away the barn was when he finally forced words from his burning throat. He was hurting too much, and Whirl's breathing was getting even worse; plus, they were both starting to stagger and stumble as they hobbled along.

"W-Whirl… I-I can't… c-can we…?"

It wasn't intelligent, but Whirl seemed to understand. He sighed, nodded his head, and carefully helped Shadow sit. But he didn't stay upright for long; with a hiss from his shoulder-wound, he settled down on his stomach, then rolled onto his left side. It didn't help the pain at all.

Whirl moved to lie down beside him, their heads close together. At first, there was only silence, with their ragged breaths the only thing they could hear. Then, Whirl purred; Shadow glanced at him, and he spoke.

"…Shadow. G-…get some sleep now. I… I'll tell you a story. In the forest… with those wild cats… I-I know two of them. S-Snowy…and Icicle. Th-they were… good friends of mine, before I found you. A-and they… they left... six moons ago. Snowy… she… she was the one who suckled you, w-when we all found you. They… left to join those… wild cats. A-and, they… they should still be there." Ever-so-slowly, he edged a little closer to Shadow; the kit's eyes as wide as they could be in his condition, full of nothing but wonder and curiosity. "When you wake up… I-I want you to go find them. St-stay with them… they'll help you. D-do you promise you will?"

As best he could, Shadow nodded his head. "Y-yes… I-I pr'mise."

Whirl let out a heavy breath. He seemed to sag into himself, entirely relaxing on the ground. His eyes even closed, so when he didn't say anything for a moment, Shadow started to worry. But then he flicked his tail. "Good kit… Sleep now. I'll… see you soon."

At first, he didn't think he'd be able to sleep with what Whirl had told him spinning about in his head. Alas, the exhaustion began to kick in as if on cue. Shadow found himself drifting off to sleep faster than he might have wanted to.

--

When consciousness tagged the edge of his mind again, Shadow realized it was rather chilly out. How long had he been asleep? Forcing open blurry eyes, he tried to raise his head—but stiffness got to him first, and he cringed before dropping it down on his paws again.

Well, it was nighttime now, he could tell that much. He'd laid there with Whirl and had slept all day. His shoulder was still burning, but it was more of a dull ache by now, thankfully.

…Wait.

Where… _was_ Whirl?

Forcing open his eyes again, Shadow focused as hard as he could. Whirl had been sleeping there—_right_ there next to him, hadn't he? Then why wasn't he there now? Even his scent was stale. Had he gone somewhere and not been able to come back?

The plank that had lodged itself in his shoulder screamed at him in protest, but he forced himself to move nonetheless. With much difficulty, he managed to pull himself to sit up.

Whirl was nowhere to be seen.

He almost started panicking. Whirl, even his scent, was entirely _gone._ There weren't any bushes or trees to hide in here—but not too far off, Shadow spotted the pine trees that marked the border of the forest.

Whirl's words flew to the front of his mind. _"Snowy and Icicle. They were friends of mine… they left to join those wild cats. I want you to find them."_

So… his task was laid out for him. Shadow flicked his tail. He craned his neck to glance around, though his eyes came to rest on the thing protruding from his shoulder.

It was, indeed, a piece of wood. But it wasn't that big—actually, it was probably no thicker than Shadow's back leg, not considering his thick fur. It wasn't too long, either; he was willing to bet his tail was longer by at _least_ a mouse-length. His right side was caked by dirt and dried blood, just like the wound and lower parts of the plank. Shadow cringed. It would take him moons to get rid of the blood-scent…

Well… it wasn't smart to sit there by himself, especially while wounded. He had to find help; as well as Whirl.

Drawing in a deep breath, he struggled to his paws. A yowl nearly escaped from the surging pain in his shoulder, but he somehow managed to suppress the sound; that didn't keep it from hurting, though.

Ugh, he was already regretting moving. How would he be able to find the wild cats in his condition?

Somewhere overhead, a crow called; it was mocking him.

Shadow hissed. He would just have to not walk on that paw.

It took a bit to figure out, but before long, Shadow was hobbling along like his right front paw was broken. It took far more time than he wanted it too, but soon enough at that pace was he reaching the tree-line. It was strange, though. He'd never been that close, before. He recalled the feeling of being watched he'd had the other day… Shadow drew in a deep, shuttering breath. Hopefully those wild cats weren't _too_ wild.

At least attempting to be cautious, Shadow limped onward. The ground was soft, almost muddy to walk on, and very cold. There were leaves scattered here or there, but there was a _lot_ of pine needles. The forest was eerily silent, and he shuddered. How could any cat live in such a creepy place?

His shoulder started burning again, so he stopped to rest. He'd only just managed to sit when a fat little mouse scurried by. Shadow's stomach growled. He was hungry… but not hungry enough to try hunting in his condition. The mouse continued on its way, and Shadow soon followed, heaving himself back onto his paws.

He continued onward, deeper and deeper into unfamiliar territory. Numerous times he was forced to stop and rest, but not even once did he run in to any other cats. Especially not Whirl.

He did, however, spot something up ahead. The full moon in the sky made him shiver, but not as much as the huge metal-y contraption in his path. There was some kind of fence surrounding it on all sides, it looked like, and the most putrid of scents came from it. Crow-food!

Shadow grimaced. How could cats live near that thing? He stumbled a little closer to inspect it. There were heaps and heaps of grimy, disgusting things passed the fence; twoleg waste, he figured.

If the wild cats Whirl had told him about really were like the stories, then they probably _wouldn't_ be in there.

Turning in the opposite direction, Shadow started off again, but he paused. There was a hollybush just in front of him, and it was rustling. The scent of crow-food overpowered any other smell, but whatever was there soon emerged into his path. It was a rat; a big, fluffy white rat with red eyes. Shadow recalled seeing one like this before in the barn, only it had been much smaller. Then again, that rat had had a black star-shaped sort of mark on its back, and it had been entirely harmless. It had been strange, because it had been able to speak cat sort of; Shadow had been well on his way to being good friends with it until Whirl had chased it away from the barn. The rat in front of him looked… less than harmless, though.

He decided to take his chances. Maybe this rat wouldn't run away too fast?

"…Hi," he winced at how hoarse his meow was. The rat didn't move. "Um… c-can you point me to where any… er, w-wild cats live?"

Still nothing. The rat just stared at him. Shadow wondered if it had been the rat from the barn that had been able to speak cat, and no others…

He was going to try again, but something hit him from the side. It didn't feel big, but the strike was enough to make Shadow stumble to the side, then collapse with the wind knocked out of him. The darkness and sudden dizziness made it hard to see who'd attacked him, but then, he found himself being smothered by them—hundreds of them. _Rats!_

Weakly, he tried to struggle; but his shoulder was searing in pain, and the rats were biting and scratching him so many times so quickly, it was too hard to keep up, or even fight back.

He started to wonder how Whirl would react to this. He'd yowl his head off, lecture Shadow about losing such a fight, then he'd stomp off and brood until Shadow hunted some mice for them to share later on. Whirl hated rats. He always had—that was why he'd chased off Shadow's friend, that day.

His struggles may have died, but the rats didn't let up. Through a slight space between two brown rats, Shadow thought he could make out that white one that had distracted him. It was still there... still staring.

So… that was how he would die—impaled with a plank of wood in one shoulder, and rats attacking him from every direction.

He was rapidly slipping into unconsciousness when, off in the distance, a caterwaul of yowling and screeching erupted.


	5. Chapter Three

**A/N:** This came later than I thought it would. xD; Sorry. I was working on some other stuff. Well! Summer vacation as started, and apparently, I'm going down to Florida for a little while in July/August. Woot. I've been rereading the Warriors books that are out right now, and...it's amusing me, really. I keep looking back for things and giggling about them and...yeah. xD Anyway. My writer's block is finally starting to die down! Hope you enjoy this chapter. Poor Shadow...I wuv him...

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Warriors. Erin Hunter does. Lul.

--

He wasn't sure how long he'd been out, but he felt absolutely _horrible_ when he woke up. He was hurting all over, especially his shoulder where that plank of wood was.

Shadow grimaced. He still hurt too much to move. He forced open his eyes. At first, his vision was too blurry to see anything through. However, as it began to clear up, he was able to take in his surroundings.

He was lying in a patch of ferns that were surprisingly comfortable. His back was leaned against a tall boulder that was propped against a bigger boulder, though it was warm now, probably from him lying against it for as long as he had been. The area he was laying in wasn't too big, but it was very cozy. Fern bushes lined the bottom of his nest, as well as soft, springy moss, and there was a wall surrounding it around the boulders made of big bramble bushes. Close to the rocks, Shadow noticed a little hole through those bushes; now that he was paying more attention, he could hear many mews coming from that hole. Plus… the heavy scent of many cats reached him. It was unfamiliar, but still somehow recognizable. Wait—another sniff told him just where he'd found that scent before. He'd smelled it on the wind occasionally, back at the barn. Another glance around was taken. He was alone, needless to say, but the meows and the scents… He realized he could smell something else, too. Blood-scent, and an even more pungent herb-scent, both were coming from his thick, black pelt. Shadow turned his head toward the more alarming one… and noticed with a shock that the plank in his shoulder was gone. Had someone taken it out while he'd been asleep? Most of the herb-scent was coming from the same injury, too.

What had happened to him after he'd passed out?

"…no way a kit in his condition could ever become a warrior, or even a medicine cat!" Shadow heard a meow from outside the nests. It sounded like a she-cat, and she sounded _very_ angry. "He'd be lucky if he ever walked again!"

"Dappledmoss, you're not being reasonable—" a second voice meowed; this one was deeper, raspier, and sounded frustrated. A tom, Shadow figured.

"My final answer is _no, _Icefur!"

"But—ugh, but it isn't even for you to decide! You aren't our leader yet!"

"So? _You're_ only a medicine cat. You don't matter unless you're treating a cat's wounds! When Crystalstar returns from Highstones, she _will _be hearing about this conversation, barn-cat."

Shadow winced, and not because of his injuries. He hadn't really understood much of the conversation, but that she-cat sounded horribly cruel.

"Mouse-brained fool!" He heard the tom hiss. Then, in a louder voice, he yowled: "Hawktail! Get out here!"

"Y-yes, Icefur?" A new voice meowed; another tom.

"Go check on our patient. I'm going to find more burdock root."

"Uh—w-we're low on poppy seeds, too! In case you wanted to get some more of those!"

The 'Icefur' cat didn't answer, but before long, the brambles started to rustle. Shadow tensed, ready to defend himself, but the only thing that came in was… another cat. The second cat that Icefur fellow had been talked to. He only poked his head in through the hole in the bushes, and Shadow watched as his amber eyes lit up.

"Oh! You're awake!" He exclaimed, climbing into the den. Slowly, Shadow nodded. "Would you like anything? Food?"

Already feeling his mouth water and his dry throat tighten, it took a moment, but he managed to force out some kind of reply. "Water?"

The cat nodded his head. "Yeah! Sure. I'll bring you some, and a mouse, too, if you'd like." He disappeared through the hole before Shadow could reply.

_How strange, _He couldn't help but think. _He acts so calm. Doesn't it bother him I'm here, or anything?_

The cat returned a moment later. In his mouth, he was carrying a dead mouse by its tail, as well as a soaked wad of moss, both of which he set down at Shadow's paws. "Sorry if the mouse got wet!" He purred as he sat nearby, but Shadow hardly noticed him; he was already lapping at the water from the moss, and only paused between licks to devour the mouse. He was done within moments.

The other cat purred again. "How are you feeling?"

Shadow licked his lips. "Like mouse-dung."

"Sorry to hear that." An amused flick of his tail. "My name is Hawktail. What's yours?"

Though a little hesitant, he replied; "Shadow. U-um, could you… tell me where I am?"

Hawktail looked slightly put off all of a sudden, but he nodded nonetheless. "Of course. You're in the ShadowClan camp."

Shadow…_Clan?_ Were these the wildcats Whirl had told him to look for?

"You look confused." Hawktail tilted his head. Shadow huffed out a sigh, and laid his head down on his forepaws. "No… just tired." He yawned.

"Alright. If you need me, just call, okay?" Hawktail meowed, getting up to leave… but Shadow was already sound asleep.

--

When Shadow next woke up, he felt considerably better. He was still hurting, of course, but at least now he felt stronger than he had before.

It was early morning, he figured by the sunlight filtering into the nest. The sounds outside were quiet, but it was probably only due to the time. All those other cats, they must have been asleep still.

Yawning and stretching as best he could, he had hardly moved at all before there was a sharp pang from his shoulder. Shadow yowled, hissed, and very carefully tried to lay down again.

An instant later, Hawktail was squeezing his way into the nest. He was holding the dried center of some kind of flower in his mouth.

"Are you okay?" He meowed, setting the flower-thing down and coming closer.

Shadow couldn't answer right away, but he watched the older cat cautiously. Hawktail must have noticed that wariness though. "Don't worry. I'm not here to hurt you, I just want to check your wounds."

As reluctant as he was, Shadow tried to relax himself. Hawktail sniffed all along his body, in particular where the wounds were. When he went to check Shadow's shoulder, he flicked his bushy tail. "Hm… I'm going to get some cobwebs and more burdock root for your bites. You should be more careful, you tore your shoulder open again." He headed out of the den again, snatching the flower-thing off the ground as he passed it, and meowing for Shadow to stay put—to which, the young cat rolled his eyes. _Like I have a choice?_

Once by himself again, Shadow sighed. He was in for it now… he could feel it in his paws.

Moments later, it wasn't Hawktail who emerged into the den; it was an older cat with milky-white and brown-splotched fur. His eyes were cold and scorching; Shadow couldn't help but cringe a little.

Coming in after the white cat was Hawktail again, holding a whole bunch of different things in his mouth, and one of his forepaws covered in spider webs.

"Good morning, Shadow." The white cat rasped. Shadow recognized the voice as the tom from when he'd been awake last. Ice…something-or-another, right? Hawktail came over and put down the things in his mouth, flicking his tail again. "My name is Icefur." The oldest cat continued, stealing Shadow's attention. Slowly, he nodded his head, and Icefur purred. "I'm the medicine cat here, in ShadowClan. I believe you've met Hawktail?"

At that moment, something sticky touched his shoulder and sent pain crawling up and down his spine. Shadow hissed venomously. Hawktail just rolled his eyes. "Oh, hush. It doesn't hurt that much." Shadow hissed again, but didn't comment. Icefur twitched his ears, watching Hawktail very carefully. When Shadow's shoulder wound was left alone (thankfully), he spoke up again. "Hawktail… I'll take over from here."

Hawktail blinked at him. "What? Are you sure?"

"Of course. Go get some fresh-kill before the pile is gone."

Hawktail hesitated, then nodded and made for the exit. He paused at the entryway. "Do you want anything?"

Now on his paws, Icefur padded over to Shadow. He didn't look at the other cat when he replied. "Why don't you find something for our patient while you're over there?"

Hawktail looked like he wanted to say something, but he only nodded and climbed out of the den. Moments after he'd gone, Icefur took over what he'd been doing.

"So, Shadow." He chimed when silence flittered over them. "Where did you come from?"

He didn't see a point in making up a story, so he answered nearly immediately. "A barn… kind of near here." He figured, at least.

"The one behind the forest?" Icefur asked calmly. He shifted himself to lay down on his stomach, and between questions, he was gnawing on the end of a root-like thing that Hawktail had brought in.

"Mm, yeah. It's deserted, and the Twolegs don't use it anymore. But there's always plenty of mice, a-and sometimes voles, too."

Icefur glanced at him. "As well as cats, I hope?"

Shadow twitched his tail and looked away. "…Yeah."

"What made you leave?" The older cat pressed.

For a long while, or what felt like a long while, Shadow stayed quiet. He could still hear the barking and howling of those dogs. They'd been bloodthirsty; him and Whirl had been lucky to get away as far as they did.

"…Shadow?" Icefur nudged his flank. Shadow sighed.

"…D-dogs. They were attacking… a-and, Whirl, he—" Icefur patted something wet and squishy against one of Shadow's bite wounds. The kit winced, but Icefur just made a soothing purr sound in his throat and kept dabbing the stuff with his paw. "Ignore me. This is called burdock root. It helps fight infection against rat bites." He went back to gnawing on the root. "What were you saying?"

It took a moment for Shadow to get his breath back. "Wh-Whirl… um, h-he was the cat I was staying with."

"What was he like?" Icefur tilted his head to one side. There was a look in his eyes that made Shadow hesitate; he couldn't place it, but it made him flatten his ears back.

"…He was… he was a really great cat. H-he took care of me ever since I was a little kit. A-and, he taught me how to hunt, too!"

The medicine cat purred. "You know how to hunt?"

Slowly Shadow nodded his head. "Y-yeah, but I've only ever managed to catch mice. I did catch a few birds once, though!"

"Excellent!" Icefur praised. "Maybe when your shoulder is better, you can go out hunting around here with the apprentices. They might be able to teach you a thing or two!"

"Apprentices?" Shadow blinked confusedly.

Icefur nodded his head. "Yes. The cats that are learning to become warriors of our Clan."

"Or learning to be medicine cats!" chimed in Hawktail as he reentered the den. He dropped a pair of dead rats at his paws. Shadow grimaced a little. He'd never eaten… _rat_ before. He turned his violet eyes up to Hawktail again. "Medicine cats?"

"That's what we are." Icefur purred amusedly, with a gesture to Hawktail. "We're the ones responsible for the injured or the sick cats. We also interpret signs sent to us from StarClan." He must have seen the questioning look on the kits face, because he let out a _mrrow_ of laughter. "Don't worry, young one. You'll learn everything you need to eventually. Now, why don't you eat, while I finish with these injuries of yours?"

Hawktail nudged one of the rats over. Shadow sniffed it unsurely, but after a reassuring look from both medicine cats, he took a cautious bite. It didn't taste much better than it looked.

Icefur and Hawktail hardly said anything else, so Shadow stayed quiet, too. By the time he'd finished his rat, it seemed Icefur was through with treating his wounds also.

"Hawktail, would you fetch Crystalstar?" He asked as he stood up on his paws. "She wanted to speak to Shadow once he was awake."

Shadow flashed a curious look, but Hawktail only nodded and fled the den, his own rat gone as well. Flicking his tail, he turned his eyes toward Icefur. "Who's Crystalstar?"

"Hm?" Icefur blinked like he had three heads, then he purred. "Oh, of course. Crystalstar is our Clan leader."

--tbc


End file.
